The Lion's Mane Murder
by MandaMelon
Summary: Dean Winchester is one of the most arrogant, popular kids in school.  Castiel Novak is one of the shiest and least popular kids.  Who knew that the two could pair up and be your average Sherlock Holmes and John Watson? High School AU.
1. Chapter 1  The Pep Rally

AN: Hey everybody, this is probably my first fic in...forever! And damn I miss it. I've been in love with Supernatural for a while now and I have read my fair share in AU fics for the bug to bite me. On that note I hope you enjoy and forgive me for my lack talent for mystery writing. It's a careful science for formulate a good mystery and being the novice writer I am it's never going to perfect. ENJOY! :D

Ps: unbeta-ed, spelling and grammatical mistakes around every corner…beware!

Disclaimer: All things related to Supernatural and Sherlock Holmes are not my property.

Summary: Dean Winchester is one of the most arrogant, popular kids in school. Castiel Novak is one of the shiest and least popular kids. Who knew that the two could pair up and be your average Sherlock Holmes and John Watson?

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><p><strong>The Lion's Mane Murder<br>**_Chapter1 – The Pep Rally_

Pep rallies…Dean hated pep rallies. He hated how loud the band nerds were playing their dumb little songs in the corner of the gym. He hated how idiotic a three legged race could be. And he especially hated the geek who was currently running around dressed up as the school's mascot in an overgrown lion's costume. It took every ounce of will power he had to not lean back and shudder every time that…_thing _came prancing by his front row seat in the bleachers. There were only two things Dean Winchester – jock, captain and quarterback of the football team, and easily one of the hottest guys in the school – was scared of, flying in planes and people who dressed up as overgrown animals.

He was just starting to ponder how much trouble he would get in if he tackled and started to beat the shit out of the Lion next time it came even remotely close to him when a girl in a cheerleading uniform came running up.

"Dean, come on! It's time to line up!" Lisa Braeden said as she pulled him into a standing position and started to lead him around the outside of the gym to the other side. Lisa, who was possibility the hottest girl in the school – and wasn't a slut- just smiled and laughed when they had to walk by said Lion. She was probably the only person who could get away with such an act. If any of the guys on the team spoke up about his fear he would deck them in two seconds flat. Instead he scowled at Lisa, who rolled her eyes in return.

"It's not like it can really maul you or anything. I bet you could beat up whoever is in there anyway. Why are you so afraid of it?" She asked innocently enough, but Dean knew her long to hear the humor in her voice.

"It's got big freakish goggle eyes and that thing's just plain creepy. It's practically demonic," but she only laughed at him once more as they reached the far end of the gym where four other couples already stood, the "competition" as it may be put. Dean, being the all around popular jock, was one of the five nominated Homecoming Kings and Lisa was one of the nominated Queens. The two were nearly a shoe-in to win. Lisa was practically perfect in every way. She was smart, funny, and looked damn pretty, especially in her cheerleader's uniform. Dean was popular, athletic, good looking himself, and captain of the football team. The two were picture perfect wearing their football jersey and cheerleading unform.

"Ready to be named homecoming king big guy?" Lisa asked as she looped her arm around his, mirroring how the other couples stood as they lined up to walk out into center court.

"A bit confident are we? Not that I'm not confident, but you could be jinxing the whole thing," Dean said with a smile as he looked down at her. The first nominated couple was announced and walking into the center of the room waving to the crowd.

"Yeah right Dean. Everyone knows we already won." Dean only glanced down at her smirking as the next couple was introduced. Of course they were going to be king and queen. Not to be full of himself…alright, maybe he was but that was besides the point.

"I'm just saying, the moment someone decides that they know everything something always happens."

"Well, I'm just sure of it. Now come on; we're next."

And before Dean could get another word in their names were said over the microphone and the two started making their way to center court with the rest of the nominations. The crowd was possibly just a bit louder in their cheering with the two, but it couldn't be said for sure.

Dean waved to all of the students sitting in the bleachers who were clapping, cheering, and stomping their feet. Looking over at the freshman corner of the room Dean saw his brother, as tall and impending as he was for a 14 year old, waving madly at him and yelling something. He'd have to ask what the heck he was saying later because at the moment crowd started to settle down and an anxious silence fell in the gym.

"And now for the moment we've all been waiting for! Are you ready for this year's Homecoming King and Queen!" Jo Harvelle had a way of bringing out the best of the school as the crowd erupted into noise once again and quickly silenced itself at her hand raised command.

"Alright, this year, Lawrence Highschool's King and Queen are- drum roll please!" Of in the corner of band nerds a snare started the classic roll and Jo waited for another five seconds before she signaled for silence once more. Her mouth opened ready to give the names and-

An ear shattering scream echoed from down the hall. Outside the gym in the schools endless maze of lockers and classrooms it rebounded. If it wasn't for the silence that had fallen moment before no one would have heard it. Heads snapped towards the doors and murmurs and whispers started amongst the students. A few teachers had even stood up and were making their way to the doors to see what the commotion outside was about, when suddenly a student burst through them.

Tears stained the girl's cheeks and her mouth opened and closed like she wasn't sure how to talk. The teachers who had stood were instantly at her side trying to get her to calm down enough to say what happened. After a few stuttered attempts she finally seemed to be able to find her voice once more. The gym became deathly silent once more as everyone strained to hear what was going on.

"T-t-there's been an a-accident. Someone f-f-f-fell down the b-back hall s-steps. I-I think they're d-d…DEAD!"

All at once students were talking once again, and some even stood up trying to make their way down the bleachers and outside to the hallways. Teachers started blocking the doors trying to prevent any student from leaving and Jo was trying her best to calm everyone down and get them back to their seats over the microphone.

And amongst all the commotion Dean still stood in the center of the gym. And he could only think of one thing the entire time.

_Well damn…that really sucks._

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><p><span>AN: <span> Well there ya have it folks! Anyone curious yet or are all you thinking "WHAT THE HELL I THOUGHT CASTIEL WAS IN THIS STORY!" Haha, don't worry. He'll show up soon. I promise! :D **Reviews are loved, please and thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2 The Boy in the Trench Coat

AN: Because you guys are so awesome I've got a second chapter for you already! However, my plan is to have weekly chapter updates for this story. And thank you so much to all the alerts and reviews I have gotten. They mean a lot to me. : )

**If anyone is interested in being a beta for this story please speak up!** I have so many ideas and possibilities for this mystery and having someone to talk it out with and to check over all the crap I put down and overlook would help a lot. Just mention it in a review if you are interested.

Without further ado, here is chapter two!

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><p><strong>The Lion's Mane Murder<br>**_Chapter 2 – The Boy in the Trench Coat _

To say that all hell broke loose was an understatement. Hell was probably more organized than Lawrence High School's gym. The floor was flooded with students within the minute, but who knew what they were trying to do. They all looked like they were trying to get past the teachers blocking the doors. What did they want to do after that, go see a dead body? Well, actually that was a possibility for some. Others looked liked they wanted to be anywhere but Lawrence High School, and the rest…well Dean wasn't exactly sure. Most of the students just looked shocked like they didn't even know what to do so they just started to follow the crowd.

One thing Dean did know was that some people were starting to get just a bit too pushy. The space that had been wide open minutes before was now so crowded that he couldn't move without knocking into someone. Lisa even lost her balance for a moment when one guy practically walked over top of her. Grabbing her hand, Dean started to pull her through the crowd to a less cramped space. It took some time, and some shoving on Dean's part when people wouldn't move out of the way, but the two eventually made it to the vacated bleachers.

"That was….unexpected," Lisa mumbled, promptly sitting herself down.

Despite himself Dean only smirked again saying, "Told ya you would jinx it." His attempt at humor fell short, however, when Lisa looked up at him with worry on her face.

"Do you think that someone is really dead?"

"I dunno," Dean muttered after a beated pause. The thought of it actually gave him chills. How could something like that happen…in Lawrence for crying out loud? "Hey, Lisa don't think about it. We don't even know what's going on. That girl could be flipping out over nothing."

"And burst in the middle of a pep rally saying someone is dead? Yeah, that's nothing alright," she replied and to that Dean didn't know what to say. He turned to sit down and take a seat next to her (they obviously weren't going to do much else for the next few minutes) when something in the back corner of the gym caught his eye. If he had turned a second later he would have missed it, but right at that moment he saw the door leading back to the boys locker room close. There was even a flash of tan disappearing behind it.

"I'll be right back Lisa. Let me know if anything happened when I get back, okay?" Before she could give him a reply Dean was going down the steps and making his way through the crowd to the back of the gym. It wasn't as difficult with everyone trying to push themselves towards the front so he made it to the door in less time than expected.

Glancing behind him to make sure a teacher didn't spot him, Dean slipped through and quickly closed the door behind him. He wasn't exactly sure what his plan after that was. Did he actually see someone come through here? And what the heck were they doing if they did. With nowhere to go but forward Dean jogged down the length of the hall and eventually came to another door, the guys' locker room. Having the briefest thought that he was just seeing things and that no one was actually back here, he turned to head back to the gym when a sound caught his attention. Footsteps…they were light and barely audible, but the distinct sound of shoes sitting the tiled floor was there.

More sure oh himself than before, Dean pulled open the door and went in. There wasn't anyone in sight at first glance, but that didn't mean they weren't there. Trying to walk with the same light footsteps he had heard, Dean made his way through the locker room, glancing down each isle of lockers as he passed. Each was empty, that was up until Dean had made it to the final row. Rounding the corner he once again expected that he was just hearing things and there was no one there, when suddenly someone was there. Crouching down on the floor, in front of the back emergency exit door, was a boy….a boy with extremely untidy black hair (from the back at least) and was also wearing a large tan trench coat. So that was what he saw!

Dean only stood there for the first few moments, not exactly sure what to do. The boy was either too busy doing whatever the hell he was doing to notice Dean yet…or he just didn't care that Dean was standing there.

"Uh dude….what the hell are you doing?" Dean finally spoke up. The boy jumped when he spoke and something dropped to the floor with a small clatter. Quickly turning and standing up the boy ,in the ridiculous looking coat, just stood there for a moment, eyes wide like he was caught doing something he shouldn't be doing (which was probably exactly the case). There was at least ten seconds of extended silence, the guy not faltering his deer in the headlights face, when he finally decided to speak up.

"Nothing."

Yeah, like Dean was going to believe that. Looking down at the boy's feet Dean caught sight of a large bent up paperclip. Leaning so that he could look around the guy he noticed another paper clip, also unbent to form a long thin wire, sticking out from the keyhole of the usually locked door. Trench coat boy cast a quick glance behind him and tried to lean over to block Dean's view of the lock but the damage was done.

"Dude…are you trying to pick the lock or something?" He finally asked, baffled to say the least. If the guy's could grow any larger they did. He looked torn between making up a lie on the spot or to tell the truth. Eventually his shoulders sagged and he said, "Perhaps." Another short cut reply, not exactly what Dean was looking for in an answer.

"So…" he tried to prompt the boy into explaining why the hell he was trying to unlock the door, but when none came Dean realized he was going to have to be a bit more blunt about it. "Why are you trying to pick the lock?"

Again, trench coat boy, as Dean now dubbed him, looked like he was contemplating what kind of answer to give.

"I was…trying to find a better way to get out of the gym."

Dean thought he was going to have to prompt the kid again to explain himself when it suddenly seemed to dawn on him. This _particular_ door just happened to go out into a hallway that leads right to the back-steps of the school.

"You want to get to the steps to see the body…" and Dean paused not sure what to say after that. Curiosity had obviously gotten the better of trench coat boy, and instead of trying to push his way through the crowd of students _and _get past the teachers blocking the doors, he went the back way to the locker room. It was actually really…smart. The only problem was that the exit was locked after school unless there was a practice going on that night, and sense the pep rally was that day all sports practices had been canceled.

"Huh." Dean muttered again. "Stay there." And he turned going back down the end isle of lockers.

"What are you-" He heard from behind him but cut off the voice.

"Just hold on a second," he said turning the corner. Walking up two isles of lockers he turned and headed down to the middle of one set. With a few quick turns of his wrist he unlocked his own storage locker and picked up a key that was hanging up on a hook in the back. There were perks to being the "responsible" football captain that he was…such as having and extra set of keys to unlock any door in the gym in case of emergency or one of the coaches send him off to do something.

He returned a few second later and the kid actually stayed rooted to the spot. He face was set with a confused expression when Dean lifted up the key to show him.

"Look, I'm just as curious as you are dude." _I was just the guy who was so caught up with what was going on that I didn't remember the other door that led to the stairs or the fact that I had a key to unlock it. _

Trench coat boy's face then set to an "O" as Dean approached. He stepped out of the way, grabbing the extra paperclip lodged in the lock while doing so. Placing the key in and turning it with a satisfying _click, _he re-pocketed it to return to his locker later and opened the door. Stepping out he took one step into the hall before stopping and turning to see if trench coat was going to follow him. Not that he would ever admit it outloud, but Dean wasn't exactly sure he wanted to go to the steps alone to see what happened…especially if there was a dead person there.

"You coming?"

"I- of course. I just wasn't- nevermind let's go," and the boy quickly walked past Dean and started down the hall at a much more confident pace than Dean would have been going. Dean followed and suddenly started to get a very bad feeling about what they were going to find.

x x x x x x x x x x

It wasn't a very long walk to the steps in question, but trench coat guy's once brisk pace had slowed down considerably to a slow, turtle walk. If Dean didn't know any better he would say that trench coat guy wasn't so excited to see what they would find either.

_I need to stop calling him that…_ Dean mutely thought as the two walked side by side.

"So…what's your name?" A real ice breaker that one was.

Trench coat seemed to shift like he wasn't exactly sure what to say at first. He never turned to address Dean, but he finally said, "Castiel, Castiel Novak."

Dean raised his brows up for a moment at the odd name, not to mention that he had never even heard of the kid before.

"Please don't ask about my name. I know it's not the usual Jimmy or John," the dark hair boy muttered practically reading Dean's thoughts.

"Alright, well I'm-"

"Dean Winchester…yeah I know."

It was enough for the two to lapse into silence once again. The only sounds were their feet hitting the floor. Dean occasionally glanced over at Castiel like he was trying to think of something to say before thinking better of it and turning forward once more. To his knowledge, Castiel didn't give him a sideways glance. Eventually the silence and slow pace got the better of Dean and he turned his head once again towards the guy.

"Look I know you said not to ask, but seriously what the hell kind of name is-" he started to ask, but was suddenly stopped by an arm that was thrown out in front of him. Castiel had stopped dead in his tracks and was looking down the hall with a look of…of…he just suddenly looked a lot more serious than before.

Dean wasn't sure if he wanted to turn his head right away to look at whatever Castiel was seeing. It wasn't too late for him; he could just turn right around and head back through the locker room towards the gym. But even as the thought crossed his mind he knew he wouldn't. It was almost like an invisible force was turning Dean's head. Maybe it was the intense look Castiel had in his eyes as he gazed down the hall.

The first thing he noticed was the crumpled mass that lay at the base of the steps, and even Dean – who wasn't the brightest when it came to school and learning- could figure out that it was a body. It was hard to tell exactly how the shape was laid out, but even from this distance it was very unnatural. One arm seemed to be twisted under the body and a leg was bent in an unnatural angle. As the initial shock started to settle in Dean, he noticed more things, like the dark substance that seemed to pool around the head of the body and that the eyes of the person were open….unblinking and lifeless.

"Holy shit…" Dean didn't realize he said the words out loud. It was an actual god damn dead body….holy shit!

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Castiel had started walking towards _it._ He was slow and unsure the first few steps before he practically ran the rest of the distance and stopped a few feet away looking down at it.

"Uh dude, I think we should really get back to the gym. We shouldn't-…we could get in trouble. _ really think- Castiel?" Dean stammered his way through the sentences, glued to the spot he was at. If Castiel was even hearing him right now, he gave no indication. The guy was just looking down at the body.

"Pst…Castiel….Cas, hey!" Dean tried in the best 'loud whisper' he could give, but Castiel wasn't budging. With a sense of dread Dean knew he was going have to walk up there and get closer to the body. Before he could change his mind Dean walked up to stand next to Castiel.

He tried to tell himself to just look at Cas, to not look down at the body, to not even think about how close he was to a dead body, but the invisible force grabbed him once again and tilted his face downwards. It wasn't so bad…kinda… It was just a lot of blood really, and a twisted body of someone who fell down the steps and didn't have the greatest landing. It wasn't bad at all.

_Aw who the hell am I kidding_, Dean thought as the goose-bumps started to make their way across his skin. He was about to turn away when something else caught his attention. He didn't see it at first because of the distance, but there was something written on the floor. With a shuddering breath Dean realized that there were in fact letters on the ground…written in blood. The dead guy's hand that wasn't trapped under his body had blood on the finger tips and was resting near the letters. Dean tilted his head trying to make out the sloppy and shaken letters that were there.

L-I-O-N-M-A-N

_Lion man? _There was a smudge after the 'N' where the hand had eventually collapsed after writing his final message.

Dean quickly snapped his gaze back up and over to Castiel. A mixture of emotions was playing across the boy's face. Sadness, confusion, loss, rage, questioning…the list could go on. Again, it took Dean a few moments but he started to piece the puzzle together. The look in his face all added up to…_recognition_.

"Hey Cas….do you- do you know who this is?"

There was silence at first. A very long drawn out silence, longer than the awkward silence between the two when Dean first saw him trying to pick the lock of the door. Right before Dean thought that Castiel wasn't even listening to him, he answered. It was so soft, spoken as a whisper, that Dean almost couldn't hear him.

"Yes, he is my brother."

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><p><span>Author's End Notes: <span>DUN…DUN….DUUUUUUN~ Oh god, it seriously kills me to end this chapter here, but it had to be done! Not to mention I hate myself for picking the character that "the dead guy" is going to be, but I saw no way around it. Forgive me!

Like said if anyone is interested in being the beta for this story let me know. :D

And on a final note, anyone want to guess who play 'Sherlock' and who plays 'Watson' yet? Hrmm, anyone at all?


	3. Chapter 3 An Accident

AN:  So I could come up with a thousand reasons why it took so long to update. Moving to a new house, going to the hospital, college, my puppy passed away. Yeah, nothing` too serious. I am VERY sorry it did take this long though. My schedule did go crazy there and I just didn't have time to sit down at the computer and type; so one day I just started making this chapter during lecture instead of taking notes.  
>; D I just love you guys that much. So without further ado, I present you chapter 3!<p>

And a big thank you to **Kai-Chan311** for being my muse beta. She's awesome helping me collect my thoughts and ideas for this fic. And also thank you to all the lovely reviewers. You guys are amazing. : D

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><p><strong>The Lion's Mane Murder<br>**_Chapter 3 – An Accident_

Dean wasn't the type of guy who got easily spooked. As far back as he can remember he didn't have nightmares after watching a scary movie, he barley flinched or cried when he was a little kid and had to get a shot at the doctor's officer, and he definitely stood his ground in front of Sammy when jerks like Gordon decided to pick on younger kids. The few things that did scare Dean – such as getting on airplanes and freaks running around in overgrown animal costumes – were usually hidden by the "pissed off angry" looking Dean. But just now, realizing that the dead body in front of them was Castile's brother…he got nervous.

His fixed stare on the body abruptly moved to that of the one standing next to him, expecting to see any number of things from Cas, but what he didn't expect was a face devoid of any sort of readable emotion. Castiel's eyes were dull like he was looking at something beyond his dead brother just laying there and his lips were pressed together in a flat line. Now Dean was really on edge watching Cas like he was a bomb ready to go off. But instead of yelling, screaming, or hell even crying Castiel dropped to the floor, careful to not kneel in the pool of blood or touch the body, and leaned down so that he was near his brother's ear. He spoke words, but they were so soft that Dean couldn't make out much. He heard snippets of words like 'God', 'Gabriel', and 'love' but everything else was lost.

It felt like they were standing there for forever, Dean wondering if he should do something besides stand there like an idiot. Suddenly Castiel's head snapped up and his eyes widened, much like when Dean first caught him trying to pick to lock on the door. The sudden movement shocked Dean so badly that he almost missed the sound that had caught his attention; footsteps, lots of them, and they were heading this way fast.

_Shit. _He was supposed to be in the gym with the rest of the students at the pep rally and Castiel was…well not many people probably noticed him in the first place, but Dean didn't want to think of the conclusions that some people might jump to if they saw him here.

"Castiel…come on we need to get back to the gym." And fast. He took a small step forward, hand hovering over the boy's shoulder, uncertain if he should actually touch him, before finally placing it there. The contact seemed to snap Castiel into action as he swiftly stood up and turned running down the hallway. Dean didn't hesitate and started after him back towards the locker room.

For a brief moment Dean didn't think they were going make it around the bend in the hallway and out of sight before someone saw them. Even if they did there was a chance someone would hear them running. With a burst of speed he went around the turn. Not a moment later he could hear the muffled cry of a woman echo through the hall, but that and all other sounds faded the further they ran. The only sounds left were their heavy breathing and feet hitting the tiled floor.

Castiel made it to the door first, and damn the guy was fast and hardly slowed down as he went through the door. Dean was still on his heels though and just made it through the door before it swung closed. With a shaky breath he turned and fumbled with the key for a second before he finally got it in the lock and turned. Leaning against the door he tried to get his breath back. Slow, deep, even takes of air…just like football practice.

Even with the practiced breathing it took a while for Dean's hart to return to a normal rhythm. His nerves were still on edge, the image of the twisted body was going to be burned into his mind for a long time. And the blood…no amount of time watching Dr. Sexy could have prepared him for that.

"Castiel…Cas?" Dean turned noticing for the first time that the boy was nowhere in sight. He probably didn't even stop running while Dean was locking the door. How could he expect him to stick around though? What would they do, stand there and have a nice little chat about what just happened? Yeah, that was likely.

Once he was sure that his hands weren't shaking Dean returned the key to his locker and headed back to the gym. It was still crowded and packed with students, all buzzing with excitement and chatter about what could be happening, so one noticed as he slipped out of the doors and back into the crowd. He didn't catch sight of Castiel either, but he probably did the same thing Dean had just done, blend right back in like he didn't even leave in the first place.

Lisa was still in the same place he had left her, but was also joined by Sam and Jess, a sophomore that Sam liked but always denied it every time Dean teased him about it.

"Where have you been?" Same asked as Dean took a seat with them, trying to look as casual as possible.

"No where, just been trying to figure out what was going on," and even he was impressed about how smooth his voice sounded.

"Find anything out?" Jess was asking as she leaned forward in her seat.

"Not really. I tried to get out to the halls through the locker room….but the door was locked." The lie was just too easy, and best for everyone if they didn't know what was really going on yet. "Anything happen out here?"

"No. Some of the teachers left a little while ago, but they still aren't letting students out of the gym. They also took that one girl that came running in so none of the students would question her. She was really freaked out," Lisa answered looking at him oddly. "Dean, are you alright? You kinda look pale."

"M' fine. It must be the lights or something," he said, but out of the corner of his eye he noticed Sam giving him a grade A bitch face like he wasn't convinced Dean was telling them the truth. He looked ready to say something, but thankfully Jess took that moment to speak again.

"Look, one of the teachers is coming back!" she said pointing to the main doors. Dean turned and sure enough Mr. Joshua, the guidance counselor who insisted that everyone call him by his first name, had hurried in. The usually easy going man looked…anxious making his way around the gym, stopping every once in a while to talk to a group of students before moving onto another group. It was almost like he was looking for someone.

They weren't the only ones who noticed his appearance though. Many students were stopping him trying to get some information out of him, but Joshua politely _pushed_ them out of his way. Dean just tracked the man's movements and watched him make his way around the crowded gym. Joshua eventually made it to a cluster of girls though, and his eyes lit up as one of them pointed to another group of students close by. With a bit more speed the teacher made his way to where the girl was pointing and started talking someone in the group of kids. After a moment he was hurrying back towards the main doors, but two people were following close behind him. One was a girl with red hair, and the other a boy in a tan –

_Oh shit._

"Hey, that's Anna and her brother Ca…umm..Cas-" Jess said watching the three make their way through the crowd.

"Castiel," Dean interjected and almost bit his tongue for speaking up so quickly, waiting for someone to comment or ask how he knew the boy. But Jess just continued on unphased.

"Yeah that's it! I wonder what Joshua wants with them," she mumbled as the four watched them disappear through the doors.

Dean really wished he was as oblivious as the rest of them as a deep feeling of dread slowly started to make its way to his stomach.

x x x x x x x x x x

It took another half hour before people were finally allowed to leave the gym. Though, it was more like they were being herded outside to the parking lot. The teacher's were very strict about no one going anywhere else.

There was a lot of chatter going on still. _What about the pep rally? Who won king and queen? Is the football game and dance still on for the weekend?_

Dean could care less about any of this though. Standing up against his car, a classic '67 Chevy Impala – aka his baby- he could only think about what Castiel was doing right now. Were they telling him and his sister about their brother? Did they know that Castiel had already seen it?

"Dean, ready to go?" His thoughts were interrupted by Sam standing next to the passenger door. He had walked Jess to her bus and waited for it to leave before going back to the senior parking lot. Dean had told Lisa to go home earlier and not worry too much about what could have happened.

"Yeah, let's hurry before it gets too crowded with everyone trying to leave at once." They both got into the car and Dean turned up the radio as loud as he could as ACDC started to play and quickly drove out of the parking lot and on the road to home.

It wasn't until they hit the highway that Sam suddenly leaned forward and turned the radio off.

"What the hell Sam!" Dean was in the middle of a freaking guitar solo when the music was abruptly cut off. Shooting a glare over at his little brother he was taken aback by the serious look on his face. Who know that the same baby face that could give him the puppy dog eyes could make something like that.

"You know what happened." It was spoken, not asked.

"I don't know what the hell was going on. What makes you think I do?" Dean countered, defensive walls shooting up as he turned back to looking at the road.

"I saw that guy come out of the locker room right before you did. The guy Joshua led away, Castiel. And Lisa said you had been gone a while before Jess and I got to her. _And _I know you have a key that unlocks the door you said was locked." Sam was smart or his own damn good sometimes. "What did you see?"

Dean tightened his grip on the steering wheel and was entirely too focused on driving now.

"Dean-"

"Sam, drop it. I didn't see anything. The door was locked. Yes, Castiel was there too. He was trying to pick the lock with a dumb paperclip but it didn't work so we went back into the gym. End of story," Dean said a bit more defensive sounding than he meant. He was trying too hard to not sound like he was lying.

"Yeah, sure. I'll believe that the day you're not afraid of the guy dressed up as the school mascot." Sam countered and Dean could just hear him roll his eyes.

There were a few minutes of tense silence where Dean kept looking over at his brother wanting to say something before changing his mind and looking back at the road. He finally mumbled to himself, "I'm not afraid of some geek in a damn lion suit."

Sam only laughed like it was the greatest joke he heard in the world. "Yeah, sure Dean…you'll tell me soon enough. I saw how shaken you were when you were sitting with us. Something happened and you need to tell someone about it," Same concluded before looking back out the window.

"Shut up bitch."

"Jerk."

And for the first time since seeing Castiel kneeling over his dead brother's body, Dean smiled.

x x x x x x x x x x

Later that night on the news Sam got the answer his was looking for on the eight o'clock news. Dean was in the kitchen cleaning their dishes from a good helping of microwave ready dinners, their Dad was away on another big game hunting trip so there was little else ready in the kitchen, when he heard it from the living room tv.

"Today, locals mourn the loss of high schooler Gabriel Novak. The boy was 18 years old and during the school's homecoming pep rally was discovered by a fellow student at the base of the south hallway stairs. Police are not giving us much information on the investigation, but we have been told that the death has been ruled a possible accident. We will give you more details as they are available. In other news Kansas City fair-"

But the tv was shut off and Dean turned to see his brother standing at the doorway. They just stared at each other before Sam said, "Night Dean" and went to his room.

x x x x x x x x x x

School was canceled for Thursday, but the students were assured that it would reopen on Friday for the big football game and Saturday's Halloween Homecoming Dance. Dean wasn't sure if he was relieved about having a day off – after all he originally had a biology test that day- or frustrated that he wouldn't be able to find Castiel. Not that e knew what he could do when he did see the boy. Sorry you brother is dead? Can you tell me anything else? Then again, Castie and Anna probably wouldn't be at school for the rest of the week anyway.

So Dean stayed at home. He thought about hanging out with Lisa and the guys on the team, but quickly dismissed the idea. All everyone would be talking about is what happened, and that was the last thing Dean wanted to do. He asked Sam if he wanted to go see a movie or something, but the big geek said he had homework to do and a test to study for since school was going to be open again the next day. Dean thought about studying himself so sat down in the kitchen trying to read the chapter in the biology book he was supposed to have known a while ago, but ten minutes later he found himself outside in the driveway under the hood of the Impala instead.

She had been making an odd sound for the past week every time he first started the engine. Dean didn't have time to take a look at it until now, and honestly this was a lot more fun than biology. He didn't know how long he had been working, but it was enough time that he went into the garage and turned on the stereo to the local rock station and built up a sustainable amount of grease on his face and shirt.

"Um…Dean?"

He was so engrossed in his work, not to mention another guitar solo, that he didn't hear anyone walking up behind him and when he heard a voice behind him Dean jumped so high that his head smack the hood of the Impala.

"Son of a bitch!" he quickly swore rubbing the back of his head and turning to chew out whoever the hell had snuck up on him. The anger quickly died on his lips when he was face to face with a boy in a suit and trench coat.

"Uh…Castiel, hey. Mind taking a step back?" Dean said when he found his voice and realized that Castiel was standing quite close to him invading his personal space.

"Sorry," he quickly muttered taking a few steps back. He looked at the ground, a confused expression on his face and his mouth slightly parted like he was going to say something, but no words followed.

"So, what's up," Dean decided to prompt him instead.

"I…um, wanted to see how you were doing. I mean, not that I- you were just there and I ran off rather quickly. Sorry…I just had to find someone, and then me and Anna were…" the words died again in Cas's throat and Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. Castiel, the brother of the dead guy, wanted to know if he was all right.

"Jesus, Cas I'm fine. Man, how are you holding up?"

He was given a weak shrug, Castiel's eyes still trained on the ground. "Fine. Just fine, I mean a lot of papers and new people have been calling. That's more annoying than you think. A lot of family is coming in now, but it's fine. I'm fine."

The way he kept saying the word 'fine' Dean thought he was anything but that. Yes, Castiel wasn't crying, he didn't look upset. More than anything he looked sheepish standing there like he wasn't sure what to say.

Again there was a lapse of silence, something Dean was having more and more of these days in his conversations, when Castiel spoke up once more.

"Look I know you don't know me or my brother really…but his funeral is Friday before the game. You were there-" and he stopped again but Dean could easily fill in the words. _You were there with me when I saw him. _"You are welcome to come to the funeral, but don't have to. I know it's weird, but I just thought I should let you know just incase."

Dean was speechless, and Castiel was looking up at him for the first time.

"Um, sure…yeah I can be there no problem. Uh, thanks?" He wasn't really sure why he felt the need to go suddenly. It wasn't like he was planning to, but Cas had came to his house – he would have to find out later exactly how he knew where he lived- and invited him. It just seemed…rude to not go.

Castiel for his part looked surprised that Dean accepted the invitation at all. "Oh, ok. It's going to be at the cemetery downtown. Next to the old church where Pastor Jim Murphy is. Do you know which one that is?"

"Yeah, me and my family used to go to that church. I'll find it."

"Ok…well, umm bye." And with that Castiel quickly turned and started back down the driveway. It took a moment for Dean to realize the guy must have walked here because there was no car in sight.

The boy stopped and turned back to Dean as he reached the sidewalk. Another unreadable expression on his face as the two just stared at each other.

"Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think it was an accident."

Before Dean could get over the shock of the statement, Castiel was running down the road and out of sight.

* * *

><p><span>Ending Notes: <span> So, so does this make up for the long wait. It's really slow and probably full of mistakes, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting. I'll go through this soon and check for spelling and grammar stuff. And I know we are going slow and steady here, but it will pick up soon! Exposition is a bitch, but it sets up everything.

On another note here is a sneak peek for an upcoming series of SPECIAL chapters I have planned for you guys. Enjoy!

x x x x x x x x x x

"_Get out of the kitchen…when the- no, no! STAY in the kitchen when the kitchen gets hot! Yeah, that's better!"_

"_Ed, what the hell are you doing now?"_

"_I'm making a theme song Maggie! Go away already. No girls allowed in the Ghostfacers headquarters."_

"_Ed, you're in the garage. Mom asked me to get the steaks out of the freezer idiot. I kind of have to be in the garage."_

"_Whatever. Alright where was I? Um..ghost, Ghosfacers…stay in the kitchen and…"_

"_Hey when is Harry coming over anyway?"_

"_Oh my god Maggie! What are you in love with him or something! JUST GO AWAY!"_

"_NO! AND FINE ASSHOLE. See if I hold your hand next time you go out on some idiotic adventure in the middle of the night to a supposedly haunted place!"_

"_No Maggie wait! I didn't mean it. I need you! We have this whole new gig planned for Saturday! Maggie!"_


End file.
